Survive, Transform, Soar!
Panel Of Experts
Dawn Aegle
Dawn Aegle is the Founder and Publisher of Survive, Transform, Soar!, a leading magazine and website for former partners of toxic relationships which provides support and guidance through a personal growth process that “Turns Trauma into Tremendous.”
Survive, Transform, Soar! is Dawn’s way of giving back to those people and organizations that helped her survive the aftermath of a long-term toxic relationship with a narcissistic partner. She created a new life that is even better than before (BTB4™), understands what you are experiencing and wants to share the knowledge she gained (and the professionals who helped guide her) so that others can do the same.
In her New Dawn, she is a mother, grandmother, artist, writer, world traveler and friend to many. She hopes that all former partners from toxic relationships will take advantage of this global community to support themselves and each other.
Sandra L. Brown, MA
Sandra L. Brown, MA is the Founder and Director of The Institute for Relational Harm Reduction and Public Pathology Education, the largest provider of recovery-based services for survivors of pathological love relationships. She is recognized for her pioneering research into relational harm from dangerous and pathological partners.
Sandra is a former psychotherapist in the field of psychopathology and is the award-winning author of several books, including Women Who Love Psychopaths. She specializes in the development of Pathological Love Relationship training for professionals and development of survivor-based support services
Sandra is most noted for being the first to research the effects of psychopathy on female partners and her most recent research in collaboration with Purdue University will be published in the near future. SafeRelationshipsMagazine.com.
Rick Hanson, PhD
Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley and New York Times best-selling author. His books include Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha’s Brain, Just One Thing and Mother Nurture. He edits the Wise Brain Bulletin, has numerous audio programs and is the founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom.
Rick has written and taught about the essential inner skills of personal well-being, psychological growth and contemplative practice – as well as about relationships, family life and raising children.
He has been an invited speaker at NASA, Oxford, Stanford, Harvard and other major universities, featured on the BBC, CBS & NPR and taught in meditation centers worldwide. He offers the free Just One Thing newsletter and online Foundations of Well-Being program in positive neuroplasticity (available free for those with financial need). RickHanson.net
George Simon, PhD
Dr. George Simon is a leading expert on ‘manipulators’ and other disturbed characters who has worked with them and their partners for nearly 30 years in private practice, corrections, research and consulting. His books include In Sheep’s Clothing, Character Disturbance, The Judas Syndrome, and How Did We End Up Here?
He earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Texas Tech University and is a speaker, trainer, blogger and frequent media guest. He served for several years on the Arkansas Governor’s Commission on Domestic Abuse, Rape and Violence, is a past President of the Arkansas Psychological Association and is a Board Certified Diplomate in Forensic and Clinical Psychology (ACFEI).
Dr. Tony Pennells
Dr. Tony Pennells is co-founder of the online financial literacy and education platform MindShift.money, better described as a global movement that’s changing the way people think about and manage money. Through his core programs, Financially Fit Bootcamp and Cash Flow Cure, members learn how to Cure Money Stress, get out of debt & stay on the road to Financial Security.
Dr. Tony reached Financial Freedom at 27 years old and left medicine to focus on being a father and husband. Through observing the experience of his refugee parents who lost everything, Dr. Tony relates especially to survivors of trauma and their need to rebuild financial stability.
Rivka A. Edery,
MSW, LCSW
Rivka A. Edery, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., is a highly intuitive licensed clinical social worker specializing in trauma recovery and spirituality. She has published several books and professional articles, including Trauma and Transformation: A 12-Step Guide and Hear Me Sing: Book I.
Using a positive approach that encourages clients to adopt a loving, compassionate understanding of themselves, she has assisted trauma survivors in achieving safety, reducing troublesome symptoms, increasing competencies, reviewing and reappraising trauma memories, and consolidating gains by learning and applying new behavioral, emotional, physical and spiritual skills. Learn more about Rivka at https://rivkaedery.com.
Candice Cooper-Lovett, PhD, LMFT
Dr. Candice Cooper-Lovett, PhD, LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist, sex therapist and the owner of A New Creation Psychotherapy Services, LLC in Atlanta, Georgia. With over 10 years of experience, she specializes in trauma recovery, particularly domestic violence/intimate partner violence (IPV), sexual assault/abuse and community violence that affects individuals, couples and families.
Dr. Cooper-Lovett serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Interpersonal Violence and the Journal of Family Violence. She specializes in sexual issues and human sexuality and believes in the power of storytelling to empower clients toward transformative growth in their lives.
Dr. Cooper-Lovett works with couples on issues surrounding intimacy (emotional and sexual), trust, communication and connection, couples who are in infidelity recovery, couples with situational violence, and women who are in process of finding themselves as it relates to their self-identity and happiness, and youth witnesses to IPV, as well as at-risk youth.
Irene Lyon, MSC
Irene Lyon, MSC, is a nervous system specialist and therapeutic coach who helps people transform their bodies, businesses, relationships and lives through regulating their nervous systems, allowing them to finally heal from chronic mental, physical and emotional conditions they’ve tried everything to fix.
Irene has intensively studied and practices the work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, Peter Levine (founder of Somatic Experiencing) and Kathy Kain (founder of Somatic Practice).
Irene has a master’s degree in research in the fields of biomedical and health science. She regularly appears on podcasts and online summits teaching nervous system health, trauma healing and neuroplasticity.
Lisa Aronson Fontes, PhD
Lisa Aronson Fontes, PhD, teaches at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has worked as a family, individual and group psychotherapist. She is the author of the book, Invisible Chains: Overcoming Coercive Control in Your Intimate Relationship, as well as Interviewing Clients Across Cultures: A Practitioner’s Guide and Child Abuse and Culture: Working with Diverse Families.
Dr. Fontes has dedicated two decades to making the mental health, social service and criminal justice systems more responsive to culturally diverse people and is an expert on coercive control. She has written numerous journal articles and chapters on child maltreatment and violence against women, cross-cultural research and ethics. She has conducted research in Santiago, Chile and with Puerto Ricans, African Americans and European Americans in the United States. She has completed a Fulbright Foundation Grant in Buenos Aires, Argentina and worked as a volunteer for three years with Somali refugees in Springfield, Massachusetts.
She is a popular conference speaker and workshop facilitator who is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.
Terry Gaspard, MSW, LICSW
Terry Gaspard, MSW, LICSW, is a licensed therapist with over thirty years of clinical experience specializing in relationships, couples and families.
She is a nonfiction writer, author, college instructor and regular contributor to nine websites. Her book “Daughters of Divorce: Overcome the Legacy of Your Parents’ Breakup and Enjoy a Happy, Long-Term Relationship”was published by Sourcebooks in 2016.
Lauryn Francisco
Lauryn Francisco is an exercise and nutritionconsultant and coach and the owner of Fitness with Lauryn. She stays fit and emotionally strong as a Plexus Ambassador and “Tough Mudder” competitor. Lauryn welcomes you to contact her with questions and comments via her Facebook page, FitnesswithLauryn, where you can also see her workout videos to help you exercise from home or while traveling.
Lauryn is also the mother of two active boys and a Mortgage Loan Officer whose heart is in helping people realize their dreams of home ownership.